Why You Should Vote.

1. Because otherwise, political parties only have the votes of extremists to chase.

Look at what happened when UKIP gained traction: most of the major parties promptly fell over themselves trying to appear as UKIP as possible. UKIP showed there was a part of the population whose vote is up for grabs if you pander to their extreme views.

The major parties wouldn't have chased those votes if they thought they had a large, moderate core vote they might alienate in the process. But they don't. Consequently, Nigel gets his leery, beery mug splashed across national media as a 'man of the people', when nothing could be further from the truth.

2. Because there's no such thing as a wasted vote.

All votes matter, because it's not just about this election. It's about the next one, and the one after that. As a moderate voter, you're in it for the long haul.

Your vote may not change the outcome this time. But it will be part of the numbers all the parties look at when considering future policy. So vote Conservative, or Labour, or Green, even if they can't win, because by doing so you're announcing to the party that does win: "I have a vote for you to chase."

Even if you really can't choose a 'least bad' option, even if you vote entirely at random, it makes a difference. Why? Well, compare these results:

Con: 4000

Lab: 2000

Green: 600

Lib: 500

with these:

Con: 8000

Lab: 6000

Green: 4600

Lib: 4500

The difference is 16,000 moderate voters voting at random. Looks like a closer race, doesn't it? I'd expect the Conservative and Labour parties to be much more interested in courting the Green and Liberal vote next time around - which means policies that are more attractive to moderate voters like you.

Moderates voting at random is even better if there's an extremist party like the BNP or UKIP involved, because you'll help keep those extremists out of government. Compare:

UKIP: 4500

Con: 4000

Lab: 2000

Green: 600

Lib: 500

with:

Con: 8000

Lab: 6000

Green: 4600

Lib: 4500

UKIP: 4500

Same story as above: 16,000 moderates voting at random but not for UKIP.

That's the great thing about being the silent majority (as non-voters have been in recent elections): you don't have to vote tactically to affect the outcome.

You just have to vote.